


Watching the Past

by Poochenthecreator (orphan_account)



Series: Secrets Universe [6]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Not Beta Read, Past Character Death, Swearing, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22341934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Poochenthecreator
Summary: Grian was the one to bring Skoyae back into Shy's life and that resulted in him dying. However, Shy's death isn't the only one he's indirectly caused.
Series: Secrets Universe [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616542
Comments: 16
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Grian yawned and stared tiredly at Mumbo and Iskall as they talked about new ideas for shops. He just couldn’t bring himself to have the energy to do much nowadays. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse since Shy had died. That had been so long ago so why was he still depressed over it? Why did he feel so guilty?

Right, because he had been the one to invite Shy’s piece of shit mom over. The mother that resulted in his friend’s death. It was all of his fault and he was sure his friends blamed him for it. They had to have. He had killed his best friend and platonic partner and-

“Grian? What do you think?” Grian looked up at Mumbo once he was freed from his thoughts and shrugged, not really having the energy to answer or even ask what the hell they had been talking about. “Are you okay? I know you’ve been acting… different lately.”

Grian stood up and sighed. “I’m going to take Emerald off TFC’s hands.” He began walking away and left his friends behind despite the awkward silence. Who cared if they got worried? It didn’t matter to Grian much. Not anymore. None of them could change the very fact that Grian had been the one to bring in the one who killed Shy.

He knocked on the door to TFC’s base, the eldest hermit being heard laughing as he approached the door. He opened it show that Emerald was clinging to his head and back despite being too old to do so. It was quite a sight to see TFC allowing this feathery little girl a quarter of his size clinging tightly to his gray hair and beard. Grian forced himself to smile. “Hey! How’s my favorite little girl doing?” Emerald squealed and climbed down from her TFC perch and hugged Grian.

“Wing Dad!” Emerald giggled as Grian picked his daughter up. “Uhm… I mean, Dad! I’m a big girl now and I don’t need silly nicknames!”

“I believe you, sweetie. Thank you, TFC. We had an Architechs meeting today.” TFC only smiled in response and went back inside. That man was strange, that much was for sure. He reminded Grian of the original legends of Herobrine- mysterious and never appearing to other’s eyes for too long.

Grian began walking home with Emerald following behind after he set her down for being too squirmy. She did like any other child did and asked 5 million questions in rapid succession. Grian answered most of them to the best of his ability but one made him pause. “Who’s the headphone man?”

“Headphone man?” He looked at Emerald and stopped walking. “What do you mean?”

“He is tall and wears these red and blue headphones! He has these purple marks aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall over and has biiiiiig wings! Bigger than yours, Dad!” Grian felt his stomach drop but he tried to shake it off. Taurtis in no way could be a Watcher. They were dead so any hold they had on anyone should be destroyed. Maybe he mentioned Taurtis before and Emerald just had an overactive imagination.

“Uh. I don’t know, sweetie. Let’s go home.” Grian hurried his pace, Emerald happily running behind. “I’ll have to talk to Xisuma later to see if we have any new players…” He muttered to himself, trying his best to push away the sick feeling he got from even considering the possibility Taurtis could be looking for him as a Watcher.

* * *

_“I want to see him…” A figure watched Grian enter his base, their translucent form wavering slightly._

_Shy shook his head and turned to the figure. “Not yet. He’s not ready.”_

_“He has to be! It’s been so long!” The figure walked up to the door of Grian’s base and phased through, Shy following quickly. Both watched Grian take out some toys for his daughter, Shy puffing out his chest in pride._

_“He’s doing so well! Now, can we leave him be?”_

_The figure glared at Shy, eyes glowing a bright purple. “He left me to_ die _in case you don’t recall.”_

_“Not like he meant to. The Watchers had control over what he did via blackmail and threats of harm. He was relying on flight or fight instincts. I refuse to let you blame him for the abuse the Watchers put him through.”_

_“Go screw yourself, Shy. He had a choice.”_

_“Your mind is polluted with the magic you stole from them. All you’re coming to know is the hate they had for him. But, if you give up the magic, you can be free-“_

_“I’m not giving up my magic!” The figure glared at Shy even more and balled up his fits, purple markings across his skin glowing bright. “It’s what keeps me who I am. It gives me amazing powers the old, weak me could never even think about!” The figure chuckled. “You’re weak, Shy. Glitches across the land are making you weak.”_

_“…I have a bad feeling about this.”_

_“Trust your gut. Your silly little era is over. I’m taking over.” The figure sent a pulse of purple magic across the ground, it traveling to Shy and running across his form as he yelled loudly and tried to escape it. The magic became a chain pattern over him and jerked him away, leaving the figure alone and watching Grian’s daughter, who had wide eyes._

_“Don’t tell a soul about this or else we won’t play games anymore. Okay?”_

“Okay, headphone man.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are we actually seeing emotional development this early in a story??? Wow.

Grian lazily drew figures in the sand, watching Emerald chase after Nate and Tulip, who flew around happily. God, Tulip looked so much like Shy. Viper had said that she was a miracle made from magic but never went further into it. If Grian was entirely honest with himself, he was happy the alter had stopped fronting. Neither got along with the other; Viper thought he was annoying and Grian felt Viper was too rude.

Grian sighed and shook his head clear of thoughts when Etho approached him, sitting next to him. “Rough night?” Should he even tell Etho of the nightmare he had light night? The two weren’t particularly close and it felt too personal for Grian to want to share. However, he knew he had to get it off of his chest so he nodded. Etho smiled and adjusted himself. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really but I kind of need to. I had a nightmare of an old friend and…” He shuddered, recalling the horrid dream he had.

_Taurtis smiled at him in his hot air balloon base. “I maaaay have followed your tutorial,” the Evolutionist sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “I can’t help it. You’re such an amazing builder. But…” He sighed. “Do you really have to leave?”_

_Grian sighed and nodded. “I’m leaving for my own sanity, Taurtis. I can’t stand them calling me Ruby! Insisting I can’t be a guy…” Grian balled up his fists and sighed angrily. “It… hurts. They were like parents to me when this entire Evo project started but… Now, they’re just like my parents- never accepting who I am. I have to leave, Taurtis.”_

_“…You’re leaving us. Really leaving us?” Taurtis sighed and turned away. “You’re leaving me alone…”_

_“It’s not like that! You can come with me!” Grian reached out for his friend but found him gone in a flash. “Taurtis?” He looked around worriedly before hearing a scream. Quickly, he jumped down and glided to Taurtis land before finding Flare and Mirror holding Taurtis by the arms as the Evolutionist struggled. “Taurtis!” Grian ran forward but one glare from Mirror made him stop._

_“You’ve been thinking of leaving. That’s a big no-no, Ruby.” Mirror cackled and dropped Taurtis, the other struggling to run away before Flare grabbed him by the hair and jerked him up. “…Tell you what, we’ll give you a choice. Leave and your childhood friend dies, or stay and both of you die. Either way, you’ll become a Watcher. Like us.” Mirror grinned._

_“…” Grian debated this. He was already an Observer and was often tasked with watching his friends to make sure they didn’t rebel. Last time the damn Watchers tricked him… “I just got Taurtis back! Please don’t hurt him!”_

_“Grian, just run!” Taurtis was slammed against the rails. Grian froze in place before the world shifted around him, making him fall to the ground. He opened his eyes and screamed, seeing his friend’s body before him. Blood ran from a wound to Taurtis’s chest and one from his head. Grian’s childhood friend was still alive, but not for long. Every breath sent more blood from his mouth and nose. “G…grian… Go.”_

_“I can’t leave you-“_

_Taurtis coughed loudly, blood getting on Grian’s shirt and pants. “GO.” Grian mutely nodded and ran. He ran until he reached an update portal, using his Observer powers to temporarily change where it went to. Then, he jumped through and ended up on the other side with hot tears running down his face and blood staining his clothes._

_“I’m sorry!”_

Grian shuddered and shook it off, tears at the brim of falling. “I… I left a friend to die, Etho. He told me to but I still regret it every day. I mean- he was my childhood friend!” He shuddered once more, those this was in an attempt not to cry.

“Nate! I’m putting you in charge until Grian and I come back!” Nate stopped, Tulip and Emerald crashing into him and sending all three of them toppling down. “Be careful, guys.”

“Why does he get to be in charge?” Tulip whined.

“He’s oldest and the most mature.” Etho stood up and helped Grian up. “We’ll be back.” He led Grian into his base, letting Grian sit down on a seat and kneeling down to his level. “You can cry.” That alone made Grian cover his face and break down, Etho only rubbing his back in comfort. “It’s okay. I’ll be honest. I left a friend to die, too. I had no choice.”

“You did?” Grian sniffled a little and uncovered his face. “Why?”

Etho sighed. “We were on a mission and we were ambushed. He told us to go while he led the attackers away. He was already heavily injured and we both knew he’d die. Everyone knew. But we had to think of the person we had come to rescue so we fled. They… found his body three days later, so mangled we almost didn’t know who he was. I knew that, if I left him, he’d die because his injuries were too severe and there were too many enemies. But, he saved 5 lives that day. Bdubs… honestly, I’m not sure if he remembers it but he was there too. He’s lost some friends to missions. Many of us in the Council have.”

“…So, you really let your friend run away while hurt?” Etho nodded at Grian, grief in his expression. “Do you ever regret it?”

“Every day. He could have had a fulfilling life. He had a wife and was trying for a child. He wasn’t even a full Scout yet. He was still an apprentice and… sometimes, I feel like I should have led them way instead. I know that I was more skilled and was more able to lead the rescue away but it still hurts.” He chuckled somberly. “I know the pain you feel and I have no doubt you did what you thought was best.”

Grian mutely nodded and covered his face again, sobbing softly into it. Once more, Etho rubbed his back in comfort. They stayed like that for a while before Etho got up and took some tissues out of his bag, handing some to Grian. “…thank you. Wait, why do you carry-“

“I carry tissues, band-aids, health potions, speed potions, and fire resistance potions. Nate is… Well, Tulip isn’t the best influence on him but he isn’t in danger by being around her. I just have to prepare.” Etho shrugged as Grian cleaned himself up. “He’s not the most coordinated kid either but I raised Python so at least I know what to expect. I think that man has more bad luck than a black cat.”

Grian chuckled and stood up. “Thank you, Etho. I needed that cry.”

“Anything for a fellow hermits. Besides…” He chuckled. “Nate and most of the PyCrew like you. You can’t be a bad person if even anxious Birch likes you.” Grian smiled and hugged Etho, the older hermit giving a small yell in surprise before just resigning himself to his fate with a sigh. “Let’s go see if the kids set anything on fire.”

They walked out of the house and found Tulip chanting as she tied up Nate and Emerald trying her best to chant along. “…kids,” Grian muttered out before going to free Nate. Etho followed, clearly planning on giving Tulip an earful.


	3. Chapter 3

Anxiety gnawed at Grian’s stomach as he read the chat. Every member mentioned a visit from a man with red and blue headphones and purple markings across his body. They said he was looking for Grian. Now, Grian was holed up in a secret base far away from his own. It wasn’t pretty and served mostly for protection but he was sure that, if he hadn’t built it a few weeks ago when pranks were getting out of hand on the server, he’d have been found by now.

He couldn’t face Taurtis. He just couldn’t after he let his best friend die! …But, how was he alive? He saw how bad of a shape Taurtis had been in. And the Watchers most likely killed him over and over and over again until he either no longer respawned or became someone else entirely. Grian whimpered loudly before checking the chat again as soon as it started to blow up.

**> iJevin was slain by t̵̮͕͚͖̄̾̐̎̽̽̈́͘̕͘͠ͅa̸̛̬̱͖̟̗̽̈́̆̿͛͐͑̔̋͂̽͝s̵̖̮̗̗̬̮̤̯̱͇͒̃͊̓͒̈́̉̈́̎̆͆̄́͗͂̕͝ü̴̢̧͔̺̪̭̭̱͚̼̜̤͎̻̈́̈́̄̓́͒̑̎̿̕͜ŗ̸̛̞͍̘̦̞̳̣̬̗̃̈͌͌̒̈͌̀͘͝i̶̟̬̗͍͍͈͎̟͐͛͗̎͒̈͊͆̿͛̚̕͠t̷̠̹̠̖͕̦͌̾̚͝**

**> iJevin: **I don’t know who this guy is but holy shit can he pack a punch

 **> Xisumavoid: **Did he attack you?

 **> iJevin: **Yes! He just asked for Grian and, when I didn’t know where he was, straight up stabbed me!

 **> Xisumavoid: **I’ll ban him. He’s clearly someone dangerous and I’m afraid of another Watcher incident

 **> Xisumavoid: **Strange. I can’t access any admin commands

 **> Xisumavoid: **It says I’m not an admin

 **> MumboJumbo: **You’re not the admin anymore? Who is?

 **> ZombieCleo: **I don’t know but this new guy is bad news

**> PythoGB was slain by t̵̮͕͚͖̄̾̐̎̽̽̈́͘̕͘͠ͅa̸̛̬̱͖̟̗̽̈́̆̿͛͐͑̔̋͂̽͝s̵̖̮̗̗̬̮̤̯̱͇͒̃͊̓͒̈́̉̈́̎̆͆̄́͗͂̕͝ü̴̢̧͔̺̪̭̭̱͚̼̜̤͎̻̈́̈́̄̓́͒̑̎̿̕͜ŗ̸̛̞͍̘̦̞̳̣̬̗̃̈͌͌̒̈͌̀͘͝i̶̟̬̗͍͍͈͎̟͐͛͗̎͒̈͊͆̿͛̚̕͠t̷̠̹̠̖͕̦͌̾̚͝**

**> Cubfan135 was slain by t̵̮͕͚͖̄̾̐̎̽̽̈́͘̕͘͠ͅa̸̛̬̱͖̟̗̽̈́̆̿͛͐͑̔̋͂̽͝s̵̖̮̗̗̬̮̤̯̱͇͒̃͊̓͒̈́̉̈́̎̆͆̄́͗͂̕͝ü̴̢̧͔̺̪̭̭̱͚̼̜̤͎̻̈́̈́̄̓́͒̑̎̿̕͜ŗ̸̛̞͍̘̦̞̳̣̬̗̃̈͌͌̒̈͌̀͘͝i̶̟̬̗͍͍͈͎̟͐͛͗̎͒̈͊͆̿͛̚̕͠t̷̠̹̠̖͕̦͌̾̚͝**

**> Grian: **ohgodno

Grian whimpered and grabbed his emergency supplies. This intruder was killing his friends and he had to stop it. Somehow. Last time he dealt with the Watchers, he had been pregnant and therefore unable to do much other than hide. But now? He had a chance. He just hoped his crippling fear wouldn’t result in a painful death.

* * *

Grian ducked behind a tree and observed the man holding Etho down by his neck, the hermit struggling and gasping for air. “Now…” The man spread his massive, purple marked wings and gave a hard glare at Etho; this had to be Taurtis, even though it seemed that the Watchers had changed him enough to be taller, with more strength, and wings that dwarfed Grian’s. “Tell me where Grian is. I have a few words I’d like to share with him.”

“I-I don’t…” Etho gasped and kicked at Taurtis. “K-k-know…!” Taurtis threw him against the wall of Grian’s base with a sneer. Inside, Grian could hear the kids scream and Bdubs trying to calm them. “I honestly d-don’t..” Etho coughed loudly and slowly got up, though it was on shaky feet. Taurtis slammed him against the wall and then the ground, choking him once more.

Grian ducked behind his base quickly despite wanting to help Etho; he had to help the kids escape. Taurtis would surely kill them next and Emerald was barely 7! She was too young to suffer respawn, as were the others.

He slipped inside through a secret entrance and ran into the room the kis were in. Bdubs tackled him to the ground before realizing who he was. “Sorry,” he sheepishly muttered out before letting Grian up. “Where’s Etho?” A scream made everyone jump so Grian began to shove everyone through the secret entrance.

“He’s busy. We need to get the kids out of here!” Bdubs hesitated before picking Nate up and carrying him out, Grian following with Tulip clinging to his back and Emerald in his arms. Their communicators pinged. Bdubs checked his as they began to run. “Etho’s down. He’ll respawn, right? The Watchers aren’t exactly know for being merciful when it comes to respawn.”

Grian mutely nodded. “…Message Doc. We’re holing up with him.” Bdubs opened his mouth to protest but one glare from Grian was enough to silence him; he nodded and began to type in a message to Doc the best he could while holding a wheezing Nate. “Do you have any medicine for Nate?”

“Always do. Etho made me promise to hold onto an inhaler just in case. Doc and Joe have one too.” Bdubs jumped over a fallen tree but Grian tripped, loosing grip on his daughter as he hit the ground. Emerald screamed- it broke Grian’s heart to hear her scream in fear-and bounced as she hit the ground before she began to scream in pain. Grian scrambled up but the hair on the back of his neck rose.

He whipped around and backed away once he saw Taurtis holding Etho’s diamond sword with a mix between a sneer and a grin. “Grian. Tell me, do you ever think of those you hurt? Those you left to _die? All of your friends you left in Evo?_ ” He took a few steps forward, Bdubs picking up Emerald and Tulip flying over to him. “You can go.” He turned his gaze to Bdubs. “I have no quarrel with you. But Emerald… You better keep an eye on her…” Taurtis chuckled before turning back to Grian as Bdubs took off with the kids, Emerald still screaming in pain.

“Leave the server alone, Taurtis.” Grian backed away more but soon found himself cornered against a tree. Fear took over his senses until all he could see was his childhood friend coming closer and closer with the glinting sword in his hand. “ _I’m sorry…_ ” Grian whispered out. “ _I’m so sorry I left you to die, Taurtis._ ”

“You keep calling me that but you of all people should know that I’ve grown to hate that name. I’m grown to absolutely despise it. It’s a sign of when I was weak, before I gained my magic. Taurtis is a deadname to me. Why not call me Satutirs? It’s a mess, just like _you fucking left me._ ” He chuckled darkly and pressed the sword against Grian’s neck. “I’m going to kill you over and over again. I’m going to fucking make it so your friends can no longer recognize you and they’ll disown you.”

Grian whimpered and closed his eyes, awaiting his death.

**> Grian was slain by t̵̮͕͚͖̄̾̐̎̽̽̈́͘̕͘͠ͅa̸̛̬̱͖̟̗̽̈́̆̿͛͐͑̔̋͂̽͝s̵̖̮̗̗̬̮̤̯̱͇͒̃͊̓͒̈́̉̈́̎̆͆̄́͗͂̕͝ü̴̢̧͔̺̪̭̭̱͚̼̜̤͎̻̈́̈́̄̓́͒̑̎̿̕͜ŗ̸̛̞͍̘̦̞̳̣̬̗̃̈͌͌̒̈͌̀͘͝i̶̟̬̗͍͍͈͎̟͐͛͗̎͒̈͊͆̿͛̚̕͠t̷̠̹̠̖͕̦͌̾̚͝**

* * *

“Grian! Wake up!” Grian opened his eyes to find himself in the void. “Come on! You have to get up! Emerald needs you!” Grian looked around and tried his best to walk but soon found himself falling. He screamed loudly and scrambled for _something_ to hold.

“ _Shy! Help me!”_


	4. Chapter 4

Grian sat up and gasped loudly, shaking and looking around. He was in Xisuma’s base. “Hello?” After a few moments of silence, Grian resigned himself to the fact that he was alone. The hermits were probably fighting Taurtis- no, not Taurtis. Grian knew the importance of preferred names and, as much as he hated the fact that Taurtis was now a Watcher, he had enough respect to use his friend’s new name. So, they were probably fighting Satutirs.

He sighed and gripped himself tightly, sobbing softly and letting his mind go over the possibilities, though he kept thinking of the worst outcomes. Why was he so useless again?! He couldn’t do shit last time because he was pregnant. So, why was he as useless now as he was before?! He groaned and got up, searching around Xisuma’s base.

Aha! There’s the chests! He dug around until he found some spare armor, tossing it on and getting ready to fight. He grabbed some weapons Xisuma had left to repair and went to do so himself- right, no exp since he died. No way in hell was he going to let the others suffer because him; not again.

He checked the chat and soon determined that Satutirs was in the nearby mesa biome. Spreading his wings, he took off despite the armor weighing him down more than he wanted it to. Dying always took a good chunk of energy out of him so flying became difficult even without the added weight of items.

Grian stopped and hovered in midair upon seeing Saturtis cornered against a plateau by Xisuma, Mumbo, Cub, and Keralis. The others were helping the more severely injured, Joe and Python humming as they healed their friends. Satutirs growled loudly before he noticed Grian, spreading his massive wings and flapping them to send the hermits tumbling down.

He flew up and drew his sword, sneering once more at Grian. “Well, well, well. We meet again. I couldn’t find you at your respawn point after you died. Your friends dragged you away. It’s a shame, really. They’re fighting for a lost cause. They’re fighting for a coward who left his childhood friend to be tortured by the Watchers for years.” He yelled when a flaming arrow hit his side and glared down at False, who notched another arrow and aimed. “Want to see what happens when your friends fight for you?”

Before Grian could do anything, the new Watcher dived down and slammed False into the ground with such force that her body was hardly recognizable anymore; it puffed away into smoke as she respawned but the damage of her death would surely traumatize her for a while.

Cub charged at Satutirs but the Watcher swung his sword and took the ConVex member’s head clean off. Once more, his body poofed away but that death wasn’t any prettier than False’s. Xisuma raised his hand to stop the hermits from attacking; Grian noticed that he was too high up for the hermits to make him out. They probably thought he was a bird or something.

Grian flew down and landed between his Watcher friend and the hermits. “Stop. They’ve done nothing wrong.”

“They helped you.”

“And you helped me before too. End this, Satutirs.” Grian spread his wings. “My friends have nothing to do with the fact that you want revenge for something you told me to do. I ran. Like you requested.”

“ _Help me, Grian.”_ Grian jolted upon hearing Shy’s voice. What the hell? He shook it off and held out his hand.

“I know you’re still in there, Satutirs. You’re still my friend. Can you come with me?” He heard some of the hermits arguing but Grian chose to ignore them. “Please?”

“ _He won’t listen. The Watcher’s magic has too strong of a hold on him.”_ Dammit, Shy. How he is talking to Grian? Grian ignored him, thinking he was going insane. Shy was dead and that was that. He had to save this friend, not listen to delusions of another one who had been dead for a while.

“You’re a filthy liar. If I was your friend, I wouldn’t be like this. But, I know when I’m beat. Just remember that your little friend there-“ He gestured towards Xisuma. “Is no longer an admin. I am now.” With that, he was gone in a flash. Grian sighed and lowered his arm.

How was he going to explain to everyone this fucked up mess? Slowly, he turned to his friends and furrowed his brows in thought. “…Everyone, that was Taurtis, my old friend.”

* * *

“Sheesh, you left him to die?” Etho smacked Lief upside the head, who quickly reworded his phrasing. “I mean, he told you to run away while dying?”

Grian nodded. He sighed and rubbed his face, which had red marks from the constant tears that had been running down his face for the past hour. “Y-yeah. It… was tough. Really tough. But… I don’t know. I’m just… so regretful.” He sobbed loudly and hugged Mumbo, who was sitting next to him. Mumbo rubbed his back in comfort before Etho spoke up.

“We’ve all had regrets, Grian. I have no doubt you did what you felt was best. But, now comes the question. How do we deal with… Uh…” He blinked. “What was his name?”

“He called himself Satutirs,” Xisuma pointed out. “I thought we were done with this Watcher stuff.”

“Hey, it’s all fine!” Keralis smiled in some attempt to ease the tension in the room located inside of his base. “We’ll deal with it like we did last time!” He went to speak more but Emerald screeching in the other room made everyone jump.

Grian whimpered and sobbed louder into Mumbo’s suit. The child had broken her arm in her fall and taken some overall damage; Joe was trying to heal her since she rejected everyone else. It hurt Grian to see his baby girl in pain. To hear her crying and screaming for him but knowing he couldn’t do anything but let Joe do what he did best.

“Well, what now? We certainly can’t take this asswipe like we did the Watchers,” Lief muttered out. “As much as I want him dead- via TNT cannon, preferably- we can’t just kill Grian’s friend.” Etho gave them a sharp glare, making them chuckle awkwardly. “Okay, okay. Gotta watch my words.”

“Yeah, you should.” Etho sighed and looked around the room, which contained Lief, Keralis, Bdubs, Doc, Grian, Mumbo, Iskall, and Xisuma. “We need a battle plan. I’m not sure how to take your friend down without hurting him, Grian, but we’ll come up with something.”

“Thanks…” Emerald screeched again, Grian gripping Mumbo’s suit tightly in response. “God, I should have done something more. I shouldn’t have let go of her. I should have protected my daughter.”

“And you did,” Bdubs pointed out. “Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to get away with the kids and they may have suffered their first respawn. A Watcher influenced respawn isn’t exactly a normal one, in case you don’t remember.”

Grian stood up when he heard his daughter scream one more time. “I need to take care of her. She needs me.” Doc gently grabbed him by the arm.

“Relax. Joe knows what he’s doing.”

“I could help out if he let me-“ Lief pouted.

“And you’d be too all over the place to do anything other than scare her.” Etho sighed and pat Lief on the head. “Don’t worry. We’ll let you heal someone sooner or later.” Lief pouted even more, earning a chuckle from Bdubs.

“Away from that, we should start planning.” Doc ate a few bites of a golden carrot. “How do we stop this guy? Grian, you know the most about him. What do we do?”

Grian gulped loudly and shuffled in place. How would he tell them that he didn’t know? He was as lost as they were. Her certainly didn’t want to hurt his childhood friend but he couldn’t let him run wild. TFC entering the room snapped him from his runaway thoughts.

“I brought in some help, if you guys don’t mind,” the eldest hermit half muttered out. Grian always had issues with his thick accent.

“Help?” Xisuma tilted his head before Informant and Healer walked in behind TFC, Healer having their usual pep and Informant keeping her cool. “Oh, nice to see you two again. I was actually thinking of calling in one of you since we can’t contain souls ourselves.”

“Well, that much is true. But, we don’t want to contain his soul. We’re here for… well, we each owed a favor to TFC for getting us out of a sticky situation long ago so we came when he called. Informant here might help out a bit with discovering how to defeat Grian’s friend without harm and I can assist with any healing. As much as I hate to admit it…” Healer sighed. “With the alters swapping fronting so much, it might result in poor healing.”

“Hey!” Lief protested but another glare from Etho made him back off. “Yeah, you’re right. Everyone is trying to figure out who will front more with Viper not wanting to.”

“Wait, when did TFC help you guys?” Grian was curious now. “He never mentioned knowing you before.”

“TFC has a long history with the Council. He refuses to join but he’s helped,” Informant spoke as she looked to TFC, who just stared at the group. “We are in his debt more than you think.”

“Now, Informant, I like to keep my past hidden away. Let’s keep it that way.” TFC looked to Grian after speaking. “You. Your friend has stolen Watcher magic. It made him strong but he’s been playing with it too long. It’s corrupting him and placing false hate for you into his mind.”

“So, he really _doesn’t_ hate me? It’s just Watcher stuff?” Grian smiled, a weight being lifted off his chest. “We need to stop him. We need to take the magic back!”

Doc nodded and took out some paper, drawing on it. “I say we lead him towards a trap. It has to be subtle because he seems pretty smart.” He showed the paper to the others. “If we get Grian to act as bait aga-“

“No.” Grian made his voice short and curt. “I’m not going to be useless this time. I’m going to protect my baby girl, her friends, and my family. I’m going to _fight._ ”


	5. Chapter 5

Grian opened his eyes to the void, not quite sure where he was. Well, other than the void. But where in it? He tried to look around but found nothing around him and the emptiness of it just disoriented him when he turned. “Hello?” He stood up on shaky feet and struggled to balance himself amongst the near sensationless area; he called out again in some hope he could find someone. “Hello? Anyone here?”

“ _Grian…?”_ That voice was familiar, yet Grian couldn’t quite place it. Where had he heard it before? It was male, that much was for sure. And it cracked in what could be pain or puberty. _“It h-hurts…”_ Hurts? What hurts? He took a few clumsy steps forward.

“Stay where you are! I’m coming to find you!” He searched around until he noticed a small spot of color amongst the dark purple of the void. “Hey! Are you okay?” He kept walking, stumbling and falling a few times.

“ _It hurts… So much…”_ The figure sobbed softly as Grian slowly made his way towards them. Halfway there, he stepped in something sticky. “ _Don’t!”_ Grian jumped at the exclamation.

“Uh… I can help you. I have friends who can help you.” Never mind that he didn’t know how to even get out of here. “It’ll be fine.” He took a few more steps forward, finding the sticky substance getting thicker and deeper. Why did the figure look so familiar?

He tripped and sunk deep into the dark substance, gasping for air but only choking on what felt like tar. He struggled yet every moment dragged him deeper and deeper, thus covering his vision before he accepted his fate- death by weird substance.

* * *

Grian sat up in bed, gasping for air. He quickly got up out of bed but felt nausea hit him, so he sat back down. Right, he was in his base. They had split up after making plans, though they instituted a buddy system for everyone. For some odd reason, TFC insisted on being with Grian; said he had dealt with Watcher magic before so he’d be able to protect Grian.

Where the hell was TFC? Wasn’t he meant to be near? Grian looked around the room before he decided that the elder had left the room. “Hello?” He heard shuffling and the door creaked open. “TFC?” He froze when he noticed white glowing eyes and that alone made him scream.

TFC opened the door completely, making Grian grasp his chest and try his best to breath. “Don’t do that! I though you were Herobrine or something!” He laid back down with a sigh. “Why do you even have white eyes?”

“You tell me, kid.” TFC leaned against a bookshelf while he ate an apple. “I’m a mystery and I’d much rather keep it that way.” He took a bite of his food.

Grian only shook his head and stood up. Who knew sleeping of the void could throw you off so much in the waking world? He stumbled but TFC walked over and caught him, helping him gain his balance. “Long night?” He asked Grian; the winged hermit only nodded. He was still questioning his dream, if he was entirely honest.

Who had been the person he had been trying to help? They sounded so familiar… He shrugged it off before TFC spoke again. “I would worry about your dream if I were you.” TFC let go of Grian and stood with his arms crossed casually. “I think someone you know is trying to contact you.”

“What do you mean?” Grian shuddered at the sheer fact that TFC knew of his dream. What was this man even?

“Don’t overthink me. I think you should try to help who you dreamt of.” He chuckled and stared at Grian with his white, glowing eyes.

“…Are you Herobrine?” The words escaped Grian’s mouth before he could stop them, though he quickly slapped his hands over his mouth after. “I’m so sorry. Herobrine was a monster a-and-“

“Those were the lies fed by Notch. If I’m honest, I’m glad he’s dead.” TFC shrugged and ate more of his apple. “I suggest asking Informant if you want more information. Just ask her what happened with Notch.” TFC walked away, leaving Grian with more questions than answers. He sighed and laid back down.

“What is even going on?” Part of him wished he wasn’t here simply due to the sheer amount of confusion he had. Why was he hearing Shy’s voice? What did his dream mean? Who had been asking for help? And… was TFC really the old legend, Herobrine? He decided to stop being a lazy fuck and get up, heading towards to door and taking out his communicator.

 **> Grian: **Anyone seen Informant?

 **> Xisuma: **She’s with me, as are Python and Healer

 **> Grian: **Can she come to my base?

 **> Xisuma: **Sure. Have more information about your friend?

 **> Grian: **in a way, yes.

So, he waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short as hell chapter but fuck it. Don't care because i got all the info i needed out


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot write fight scenes so this chapter kind of sucks? Also, I was literally half awake when I wrote this and swamped with school work so it's all over the damned place

Maybe Grian wasn’t ready for the truth or maybe he wasn’t ready to fight his friend. But, Informant was here and she was in his room. “Good morning, Grian.”

“Good morning. I uh… had a few questions about you and TFC. He asked me to ask you about… what happened with Notch.” He shuffled in place as Informant’s gaze bore holes right into him.

“…Tell me, what do you think Grian?”

“…I’m not sure. I think TFC is Herobrine and he’s hiding a lot more about himself.”

“…Smart.” Informant sat down and motioned for Grian to do the same. He did so as she cleared her throat. “Long ago, we met TFC when he still went by Herobrine. He had just defeated his brother- Notch- and we were taking Notch away to pay for his crimes against players. He was not a merciful man. As a favor to us, he offered to help out a few times but we found ourselves calling upon him more. After all, he was a god. A god is a massive help to anyone. But, as time went on and we helped him or he helped us, he grew tired. He didn’t want to be a god until he died. So, he asked for us to take his godhood away; he just wanted to be a normal player. We honored his request and he began going by TFC, just one day appearing in Hermitcraft and staying.”

“Huh. TFC is Herobrine…”

“Do not tell you friends, if you do not mind. He trusted me with the secret and I only told you because he has a few phrases he gives if he wants them to know.” Informant took a deep breath in. “…You have a new plan, don’t you?”

Grian grinned and nodded. “How many of his powers does he still have?” Informant smiled and Grian knew she was excited to take down and save Taurtis.

* * *

Grian ducked behind a tree and tried his best to avoid the gaze of his friends. His goal was to get away without being detected and, if he was honest, easier said than done- especially with diamond armor on. But he had to fight this battle on his own. Well, almost alone.

He ran to a deeply wooded area and quickly wove his way between trees, ignoring the branches that smacked his face and scratched his cheeks. With all of the noise he was making now, he was sure someone had noticed! Hell, Jamekia and Lemon had been closest to him; part of him scolded himself for not getting to know the newest members.

He broke free of the woods and made his way into the nearby mesa biome. “Taurtis!” He panted and spread his wings. “Come out and face me, coward!” Taurtis answered Grian’s call, appearing before him and grinning.

“You didn’t bring your friends with you. Smart.” He drew a sword so Grian did the same. “I’ll make sure to make you feel the same pain Mirror and Flame made me feel by killing you over and over and over again.” He cackled and charged.

Thus began the dance of Grian dodging his old friend’s attacks while striking himself, swords clashing and giving a loud sound. All he needed to do was stall. Stall, stall, stall. He turned and flew up, groaning at the added weight of his armor; Taurtis or Satutirs or whatever he called himself gave chase, flapping his wings messily due to the fact that he was clearly not used to them. Their dance turned to one in the air with Grian preforming miraculous maneuvers to avoid Satutirs’ blows. He wasn’t fast enough.

The newer Watcher managed to grab him and threw him towards the ground. Grian tried to steady himself but Satutirs managed to grab a wing and pull it until Grian felt and head a loud SNAP. He screamed in pain before he was thrown to the ground with even more force.

Now on only a half heart of damage and his wing injured, he knew he had to engage the plan prematurely to survive. “Informant!” He screamed and she grabbed him and held him close as TFC came from hiding and tackled Satutirs to the ground. They struggled for a few moments before Grian squirmed out of Informant’s grip and charged. He decided that he wasn’t going to let her hold him away from the action.

He screeched and pinned his old friend down, the Watcher scratching and clawing at his face before kicking him off. He got up but saw Sautirs grab TFC and throw him into a pillar of terrcotta with such force that it sent it down. “Oh, hell no!” Grian charged again and wrapped his hands around his old friend’s throat. “You could have killed him!”

Informant ran up to Grian and shoved him off of the other, placing a hand on Saturis’s chest and sending a pulse of magic through it. The purple markings on his skin began to fade and transfer into her hand and encase it. As soon as all of the markings were gone, she took out her device and pressed the magic to it, it glowing as it absorbed the magic.

“Your friend should wake soom. I’m going to make sure TFC is okay.” She quickly walked to where TFC had crashed. Grian finally sat back and realized exactly how much pain he was in. God, that just straight up fucking hurt.

He laid back- mindful of his wing- and closed his eyes, allowing for sleep to claim him.

* * *

“Grian? Hey, come on. Wake up, Grian.”

“Ugh… Taurtis?” Grian opened his eyes and noticed Healer beside him with magic flowing from her into him. She must be doing what she does best. Taurtis was beside her and looked absolutely distraught.

“I’m so sorry I tried to kill you! I don’t know what I was thinking! Please forgive me!” He set his head on Grian’s chest before he gasped. “I don’t feel a binder!”

“Y-yeah. I’m transitioning. After all of these years. My voice is deeper, I actually am growing some facial hair, and I no longer need a binder. It’s... Well, I wish I hadn’t left you so you could see my progress.”

“I made you leave me, Grian! I didn’t want them to hurt you! I just- God, I’m so sorry!” He hugged Grian tightly and sniffled. “I acted so horribly!”

“Don’t worry about it. It was… well, it was a mess that should have never happened in the first place.” Grian hugged his friend despite the pain. “It’ll be okay. I’ll make sure no one blames you.”

“Uh, guys?” Mumbo poked his head into the room. Informant tried to free Shy from the restraints Taurtis put him in and.. Uh. You might want to have a look.”

Everyone slowly made their way from the room, only to be greet by Shy sitting on a platform of magic in the air. His chest wound oozed some black substance and that same substance dripped from his mouth with the air around him glitching. “Ah, Grian. The man who heard my cries for help and IGNORED THEM. Well, guess what? I’m the admin again and all of you are intruders so I guess I have to clean up.” He stood up and glitched a few times. “Let’s begin our little game!”


End file.
